State Dept. Defends Listing ‘Bringing Peace’ to Syria Among 2015 Accomplishments

The State Department defended a “Year-in-Review” blog post that touted “bringing peace, security to Syria” among a list of 2015 foreign policy accomplishments, telling reporters Monday “the operative word there is ‘bringing.'”

The Dec. 24th blog post by State Department spokesman John Kirby listed Syria as the final entry in a list of “Pivotal Foreign Policy Moments of 2015,” insisting the US “led the world in humanitarian aid contributions since the crisis began in 2011” and pushed “a resolution that puts forward a roadmap that will facilitate a transition within Syria to a credible, inclusive, nonsectarian government that is responsive to the needs of the Syrian people.”

The claim comes as the Syrian civil war enters its fourth year of violence and bloodshed. Millions of refugees have fled the war-torn country, straining international resources and igniting a fierce debate over security and humanitarianism.

State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner defended the post to reporters as “truthful,” insisting “the operative word there is ‘bringing,’ not ‘brought,’ so we’re bringing peace and security to Syria.” Toner called it a “mistaken impression” to perceive Kirby’s post as a claim that the US has found a permanent solution to the conflict in Syria.

“We’re not there yet, we recognize that, but we do believe through a lot of hard, diplomatic spade work we have made progress,” he added.

[h/t The Hill]
[Image via Wikimedia Commons]

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